Soul Catchers

by Carrie Pulkinen

  “Where do the ventilation shafts lead?” Solis asks.

  “To the surface,” Michael says. “He’s long gone by now.”

  Solis grunts in disapproval. “You two, head back up and find him.”

  “Should we alert the guards, sir?” a soldier asks.

  “No. Keep it quiet for now. This was supposed to be a simple in-and-out mission. No one can know about the Soul Catchers.”

  I slip back into the closet and close the door as the soldiers jog down the hall to the staircase. That’s two fewer guns we have to deal with. Now, if I can figure out how to get those cell doors open . . .

  More muffled talking comes from the hallway, so I open the door a crack to have a look-see. Seth has Wren by the shoulders, and he’s guiding her toward the stairwell, followed by the enforcers, Solis, and Michael.

  It takes every ounce of willpower I can find to stop myself from running into the corridor and prying her from that lying snake’s hands. I’m willing to accept the blame for everything I’ve done to get Wren into this situation, starting all the way back with the stupid fire I set in first grade. But Seth . . . He can’t be trusted no matter how sorry he claims to be. Maybe he’s playing along and plans to help her, or maybe he isn’t. I can’t count on him either way.

  Michael stops and looks at the cellblock. “I need to check on my patient. The one you nearly beat to death.” He’s stalling for some reason. I wonder what his plan is?

  Solis waves his hand, unconcerned. “You’re too kind to the prisoners, Crane. Make it quick. I’ll be in your office.”

  Solis and his entourage enter the stairwell, and I sneak out of the closet and tiptoe toward the cellblock. Michael isn’t checking on the injured woman at all. Instead, he stands in the middle of the hall, punching buttons on his remote control.

  “I told you we removed the implants. If you’re trying to knock me out, it won’t work.”

  He jumps, nearly dropping the device. “I wasn’t. I was shutting down the cameras.”

  “Are they off now?”

  He nods, and I pace into the cellblock and motion for the injured woman to step closer. She grasps the bars of her door, and I reach my arms through, healing her cut lip and swollen eye. She’s got a cracked rib, so I heal that too while Michael stands there, staring at me.

  “Your powers never cease to amaze me,” he says. “I have to study you.”

  The woman tentatively touches her face and whispers, “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, ma’am.”

  I turn to Michael. I’ve had it with his obsession with my Sense. I’ve been a healer all my life, and I’ve never felt anything but human. Even my dad treated me like a person when he paid me any attention. In the couple of days I’ve been in this place, though, I’ve felt more like a science experiment than a sentient being. “I’m a human, not a specimen to perform tests on. And if you ever want to have a relationship with Wren, you’re gonna have to pay attention to the person, not the power.”

  He opens his mouth to reply, but no words come out. Instead, he furrows his brow and blinks like he’s finally starting to understand.

  I step toward him. “You obviously didn’t stay behind to help this lady, so . . . what’s the plan?”

  “Did you release them all? All the wolves are gone?”

  Crossing my arms, I raise an eyebrow. “Yeah. So?”

  “I need their help. I can’t get Wren back on my own.”

  “What makes you think these people will help you after you’ve kept them locked up all these years?”

  “Please. I’ve made mistakes. I know I’m not perfect, but she’s my daughter. I have to save her.” The desperate look in his eyes almost makes me feel sorry for him. To think, I found him intimidating a few days ago.

  “Will you help me get her back?” he shouts to the inmates. “If you help me, I’ll set you free.”

  “That girl saved our souls,” Bart says, his slow drawl stretching out his words. “Of course we’ll help you get her back.”

  Michael punches a code into his remote, and the cell doors swing open.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Wren

  “It’s hot in here. Can you at least take the hood off?” My voice is muffled, but I know they can understand me. They’re choosing to ignore me. “Hello?”

  “Here’s some water.” Seth shoves a straw under the hood. I’m tempted to refuse, because he’s the one who’s helping me, but I’m parched and sweating like crazy, so I suck it down. The water is tepid; it does nothing to relieve the heat, but at least it quenches my thirst.

  “So you’re the one who found her?”

  I can’t see a thing, but Solis’s venomous voice is unmistakable.

  “Yes, sir. I turned her in when she first got possessed, and I caught her again after she escaped.” Seth places a heavy hand on my shoulder, claiming me.

  “Good job, soldier. You’ll be rewarded for your efforts.”

  “A position in Washington would suffice, sir.” Of course. Seth always has an agenda.

  “That’s a no go. The president’s enforcers are the best of the best. Years of training. Special recruits. I’ll see to it you get a nice promotion within your unit.”

  Seth’s grip on my shoulder tightens. “Thank you, sir,” he says through gritted teeth.

  The door opens, and I blindly jerk my head toward the sound. Could it be Liam coming to save me? I try to stand, but Seth holds me down.

  “There’s no sign of him on the surface, sir,” a man says.

  “Search every inch of this compound. I will not be thwarted by a teenage boy.” Solis slams his fist down on something hard. “Take the others with you and find him!”

  The sound of a clicking keyboard grows louder, more violent. “Why aren’t these cameras working? Why can’t I see the cellblock?”

  Seth clears his throat. “They appear to be malfunctioning, sir.” His voice is laced with humor.

  I smile. If anyone can thwart this blowhole, it’s Liam. I’ve got to get out of this hood, so I fake a coughing attack. I shudder violently, thrashing about as I pretend to hack up a lung. “Can’t . . . breathe.”

  Seth yanks the hood off my head, and I gasp like I’ve been drowning and just come up for air. My vision adjusts to the fluorescent lights, and I can finally see what’s happening.

  We’re in my father’s office. Three enforcers plus Seth stand in the small room, while Solis occupies the desk and bangs on the keyboard. One by one, the monitors blink out as his fat fingers pound the keys in a futile attempt to bring them back online. The rest of the men must be out looking for Liam.

  The final monitor turns black, and the entire building seems to groan as the power shuts down. I didn’t notice the hum of electricity in the air before, but now that we’re plunged into utter silence, I miss it. A loud clank pierces the stillness as the emergency lights flick on, casting the room in an eerie blue glow.

  “What the hell?” Solis jumps from his seat and whirls around to Seth. “What’s going on?”

  “There appears to be a power outage,” Seth replies matter-of-factly.

  “I can see that, soldier. Do something about it.” He advances toward me. “You. You have something to do with this, don’t you?”

  “My hands are bound and I’m draped in lead. What could I have possibly done?”

  He raises his fist to strike me, but a woman’s voice on the intercom distracts him. “Code Alpha Whiskey Tango,” the computerized voice announces. “Repeat. Code Alpha Whiskey Tango. Begin evacuation.”

  “Not on my watch.” Solis starts to give an order to his men when the door swings open and in flies a fiery ball of . . . is that toilet paper?

  The three enforcers stumble over each other to get out the door as Solis curses and stomps on the fire. It’s definitely a toilet paper roll. Only Liam would think to use a flaming roll of bath tissue as a weapon.

  “Stay with the girl,” Solis says to Seth, and he steps into the hall. The sol
diers dash back and forth, but they can’t seem to find the culprit. A group of people wearing lab coats and carrying laptop computers hurries down the hall. Solis grabs one of them by the arm and stands nose to nose with the man. “Where are you going?”

  “A-a-alpha Whisky Tango.” The scientist trembles in his grip.

  Solis growls and lets the man go. He turns to his enforcer and says, “You will find him. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” the soldier says, and he takes off down the hall.

  Another ball of fire flies in from the left and hits Solis in the back of the head. Hurling a string of curse words into the air, he slaps at his hairline, extinguishing the singed follicles, and stomps off in the direction it came from. If Liam’s plan was to cause a distraction, I can’t think of a better way to do it.

  From the corner of my eye, I notice the bookshelf moving. It slides away from the wall slightly, like it’s on hinges, and Bart’s face appears in the opening. He motions for me to follow, but the lead is so heavy and draining I can’t stand up.

  I turn to Seth, who paces the room, squeezing his hands into fists and shaking his head. He’s not in on the plan, and he doesn’t know what to do.

  “You can start by getting me out of this blanket,” I say.

  He looks at me, surprised, like he forgot I was here. “What?”

  “I know what you’re doing. You can’t stand not being in control. You’re trying to figure out a way to benefit from all this chaos, and you can start by letting me go.”

  He looks into the hall and back at me. His eyes reveal his indecision—he’s unsure which side he wants to be on. He doesn’t know who’s going to win.

  “If you help me now, I promise I will help you find Stacey.”

  Mentioning his sister seems to snap him out of his uncertainty. He pulls the blanket off my shoulders and slices through the zip tie with his knife. I jump to my feet before he can change his mind, and I back toward the bookcase.

  Seth notices the opening and starts to follow. “Let me come with you. Let me help.”

  “You’ve helped enough, don’t you think?” I look at Bart, who shrugs his shoulders.

  “Gravy train’s leaving the station, ma’am. You getting on board?”

  I sigh. I’m probably going to regret this. I should kick Seth where it counts and run as far away as possible, but it wouldn’t matter. He’s going to join the side he can gain the most benefit from, and at the moment, he’s decided that side is mine. I’d rather have him pretending to fight with me than against me. “Okay, fine. You can come, but no tricks. Understand?”

  Seth raises his left hand and places his right over his heart. “Enforcer’s honor.”

  “Like that means a lot.”

  He pulls the bookcase closed behind him, snuffing out the emergency lights. Bart turns on a flashlight, slashing through the darkness with the beam, and we follow the pinprick of light through a twisting tunnel.

  “Where are we?” I ask.

  “Dr. Crane’s secret passage.”

  Seth scoffs. “If it’s a secret, how did you know about it?”

  “I worked security here. Know this place inside and out.” Bart is running in front of me, so I can’t see his expression, but his tone softens as he addresses me. “Your dad is waiting for you on the surface. Liam should be along soon.” He chuckles. “Unless he’s having too much fun throwing flaming toilet paper around. Smart kid, though. I like him.”

  We pass door after door, turning corner after corner, until we arrive at a metal ladder bolted to the wall.

  “Here we are. Straight up, and we’ll be out of the compound.” Bart pulls himself onto the first rung and inhales deeply, a slow smile curving his lips. “It sure will be nice to see the moon tonight. It’s been a while.”

  A rusted metal hatch covers the opening to the outside, and Bart struggles with the handle, his knuckles turning white from the force he exerts. “Damn thing’s corroded shut.” He grunts and manages to pry it open, flooding sunlight into the tunnel. I shield my eyes against the bright-blue sky and climb the final rungs to freedom.

  The passageway has led us outside the perimeter fence into a dense patch of woods. At the compound, a line of civilian cars and military vehicles files through the gate. When I exit the tunnel, my father is there, attempting to hide behind a tree. His white lab coat gleams beside the brown bark of the pine. He’s muttering and shaking his head, oblivious to our arrival. I scan the area, expecting to see Liam’s smiling face pop out from behind a tree, but my father is here alone. Bart said Liam would be meeting us here. I’m counting on that.

  “You’re not fooling anyone hiding there. I can see you,” I say.

  His head whips around like he’s just noticed he has company. His eyes are wild, that crazed-scientist look he gets when he does his experiments, and he cradles his remote in his hands. “All my years of work. Gone.” He stares through me like I’m not even here. “Are they all out? They better hurry. Alpha Whiskey Tango only allows twenty minutes.”

  “What is Alpha Whiskey Tango? What’s happening?” When my father doesn’t respond, I look at Seth, who shrugs his shoulders.

  “It’s a secret code for mandatory evacuation and destruction of the base. Back up the research, gather up the patients, and get the heck out of there, cause . . .” Bart splays his fingers in the air and makes an explosion sound. “It was your father’s genius idea. Easy way to get all hundred or so of us prisoners out without the staff catching on. Most of them are headed to your friend’s camp by now.”

  “Wait. The compound is going to explode? When?” My heart takes off in an Olympic sprint, lodging itself in my throat. “Where’s Liam? Shouldn’t he be here by now?”

  “That was the plan,” Bart says.

  “You can’t blow it up.” I take my father by the shoulders and shake him. “Listen to me. Liam is in there. You have to stop the explosion.”

  He stares blankly ahead. “It’s on a timer.”

  “How much time is left?” My insides are tied in knots, and all he can do is stare like he’s in some kind of trance. I shake him again, but he doesn’t move, so I slap him across the face and scream, “How much time?”

  He blinks, looking at me like he’s seeing me for the first time. “Ten minutes. He’s still inside?”

  “I’m on it.” Bart is halfway down the ladder before I get to the tunnel entrance.

  “I’m coming with you. If he’s hurt, he needs me.”

  “Stay close. The tunnels weave through the entire compound. Easy to get lost.”

  We’re about to take off when Seth thuds to the ground behind us. “What? You didn’t think I’d let you two have all the glory, did you?”

  I roll my eyes and follow Bart into the base. I don’t have time for Seth’s games, but I also don’t have time to argue with him. The little voice in the back of my head warns me he might be up to something—he usually is—but I ignore it for now. Finding Liam and getting out of this place is my only priority.

  “This isn’t going to be easy, y’all,” Bart says over his shoulder. “He could be anywhere by now.”

  Our run turns to a slow jog as we stop at each entrance, cracking open each door to look inside every room. So far, the place seems deserted, but I’m sure Solis and his men are lurking around here somewhere. He doesn’t seem like the type of man to give up when someone smacks him in the head with a roll of flaming toilet paper.

  This is taking too long. Even if we split up, we’ll never be able to cover this place in the eight or so minutes we have left. The clock is ticking. Come on, Liam. Where are you? I close my eyes and take a deep breath, focusing on the Sense and allowing my energy to expand through the building.

  “You don’t have time for meditation, Red. Keep going.” Seth pushes past me, but I ignore him.

  Liam is here. In the corner of my mind, a wriggling sensation is trying to point me in the right direction. Another deep breath. Focus. The feeling expands, stretching from a small tin
gle into a full vision.

  “He’s this way.” I don’t wait for the guys to follow. I take off down a side passageway, my Sense guiding me to Liam. He’s so close, I forget about caution. The enforcers hunting him don’t matter. I have to get to him. I find the door I’m looking for and try to throw it open, but it doesn’t swing like a normal door. It slides. I feel along the edge for the handle, and when my fingers meet metal, I pull.

  Bart’s hand on the door above me keeps it from moving.

  I whirl around to face him. “Liam’s right here. We have to get him. He’s hurt.”

  He puts a finger to his lips. “Shh. Let’s not get ourselves killed before we find your friend.” He cracks the door slightly and eyes the hallway. Slowly, little by little, the door opens farther as he scans the scene. I stand on my tiptoes, trying to see around him, agonizing over his lack of speed. Just as the door is open wide enough for me to fit, and I try to slip through, he slides it shut.

  “Soldier at three o’clock.” His whisper warms my skin, and I realize I’m pressing into him as if I were going to shove him out of the way at the first opportunity. Stepping back, I let Bart take the lead. I might get us all killed.

  “Give me your gun,” he says to Seth.

  “I don’t think so. These weapons are meant to be used by trained enforcers, and they’re only issued—”

  “He was an enforcer, you idiot.” I use my power to yank the gun from Seth’s grip, and he balks at me, his mouth hanging open like a fish. The Sense feels so natural to me now, I forget my powers are shocking to some people. I hand the gun to Bart.

  “That’s a mighty handy power you got there,” he says.

  “Thanks. I’m still learning how to use it.”

  He glances at Seth and clears his throat. “So where exactly is your friend now?”

  I rest my palms against the Sheetrock. “He’s right on the other side of this wall, and he’s in pain. He’s probably hiding in a closet or something. If we can get into the hallway and find the door—”

  “You have some kind of telepathic connection with this guy, don’t you?” Seth’s voice is tinged with jealousy.